'We'll make you front and centre of British life': David Cameron's pledge to UK troops as he joins them in Afghanistan

Announced that £14.51 a day front-line allowance will double to £29.02

Read out message from Fabio Capello calling them the 'real heroes'

David Cameron pledged to put the Armed Forces 'front and centre' of British national life yesterday as he announced plans for a new covenant of rights for the military.

The Prime Minister told soldiers in Afghanistan he wants to put them on the pedestal they enjoyed during World War II as he became the first Tory premier to spend the night on the frontline since Winston Churchill.

Mr Cameron announced he will double their operational allowance with immediate effect - the first concrete measure to support those fighting the Taliban.

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Signaling an end to the bitter
battles between soldiers and politicians under Gordon Brown, the Prime
Minister said his government will rewrite the 'covenant between the
government, the civilians of a country and its military' to give the
Armed Forces more rights - and respect.

He said: 'During the first and
second world wars and during the Falklands War, there was real support
in our country for the military.

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'We want to put you front and centre
of our national life again. I think it's vital there's huge respect and
support for what the military does. I want that in every single part
of our country.'

Speaking in the midst of a
sandstorm, Mr Cameron quoted poet Charles M. Province: 'It's not the
politician that brings the right to vote it is the soldier, it is not
the poet that brings free speech, it is the soldier.'

He added: 'I want you to help me create a new atmosphere in our country where we back and revere and support our military.'

Downing Street officials said the
Ministry of Defence will publish a formal document listing the
government's obligations to its men and women in uniform in the coming
months.

Mr Cameron won loud cheers from 400
soldiers at the Camp Bastion base in Helmand province when he
announced that their £14.51 a day allowance will double to £29.02,
backdated to the day of the general election.

The move, costing £58million a
year, will mean that a soldier on a six-month tour will see their
frontline bonus rise from £2,640 to £5,280.

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Mr Cameron also pledged to do more for military families on the home front, with better housing, schools and healthcare.

He said: 'We will take action on all of these. We will re-write and republish the military covenant. You do so much for us and we will look after you.'

The Prime Minister also sought to distinguish himself from Labour by offering a 'clearly defined mission' that will emphasise British national security rather than 'some dreamy ideas' about nation building.

He told the troops: 'We're not here to build a perfect democracy, we are not here to build some perfect model society. We are here to help the Afghans take control of their security so we can go home.

'I can sum up this mission in two words - national security. Our national security back in the UK.'

He said that training the Afghans would prevent the return of Al Qaeda training camps and protect the streets of the UK.

Mr Cameron then read out a message
of support from the man he described as 'the most important person in
England' - national football coach Fabio Capello, describing them as
the 'real heroes'.

It
read: 'While the players receive incredible support from the country as
we are about to kick off in the World Cup, it is important you know how
much all your efforts mean to all the players and staff with the
England team.

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'Your
brave service to your country means so much to the players and we will
all have complete respect for the incredible sacrifices that you and
your families have made.

'While
we will be doing all we can to achieve success in South Africa for the
whole country, we want you know that we believe that you are the real
heroes.'

Earlier, the
Prime Minister went for an early morning run during a sand storm and
then ate breakfast with soldiers at Camp Bastion.

He
is the first Prime Minister to spend the night there, sleeping in a
Spartan bedroom in a pre-fab building on the base. Gordon Brown spent
a night in Kandahar earlier this year.

He was forced to abandon a visit to a patrol base on the front line in Helmand after a warning of a possible attempt by Taliban insurgents to bring down his helicopter.

After his speech, Mr Cameron toured a roadside bomb detection unit, met 'unsung heroes' in the fire station and post office on the base and spent half an hour in a base bar that only serves non-alcoholic lager.

At the post office, the Prime Minister also sent a 'bluey' note by fax to his children Nancy, six, and Elwen, four.

He then paid a private visit to injured servicemen in the Bastion hospital.